The present invention relates to a self-timer device used in cameras provided with a mechanical shutter having an automatic focusing function.
Generally, in cameras having an automatic focusing (hereinafter, abbreviated as "AF") function, the stroke of a shutter button is arranged in two stages so that when it is depressed to a first stage, an AF unit is actuated, and after the operation of the AF unit has been completed (that is, after focusing has been completed), the depression to the second stage is permitted to release the shutter.
With this arrangement, a failure due to the camera being out of focus, which can be caused by the shutter being released while the AF unit is in operation, is prevented.
This is also applicable when photographing is carried out using a self-timer, and the self timer can be usually actuated after the operation of an AF unit has been completed.
Nevertheless, in a case of cameras having a mechanical shutter, the mechanisms of a shutter and a self-timer are indispensably complicated and made larger in size in order to permit the self timer to be operated after the operation of an AF unit has been completed as described above, which prevents the cameras from being made smaller in size as a whole and the cost from being reduced.
That is, when the self timer is used, an operator cannot continuously depress a shutter button (in a state that the depression is effected to the first stage), and thus an arrangement is necessary to enable this state to be kept until the shutter is released after focusing has been completed.